Broncos officially sign WR Emmanuel Sanders after Chiefs unofficially did

The Broncos made it official with wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders Sunday, announcing that they signed the wide receiver to a three-year, $15 million deal, pending his physical. The Broncos will expect Sanders to step in and fill the shoes left behind by the departure of Eric Decker.

But Sanders' road to Denver was far from simple - in fact, it has many NFL executives crying foul.

Sanders had a verbal agreement in place with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to reports, that has the NFL community in uproar over Sanders' agent's tactics. Sanders' rep took that same agreement and shopped it to the Bucs, according to the report, then did similarly with the Broncos, who signed him.

One executive called it "one of the worst situations in modern football negotiations."

Technically what Weinberg did in negotiating a contract for Sanders was not illegal by NFL rules, as they had not signed a deal yet. But he broke several unwritten rules, and team officials are crying major foul.

"When a man gives you his words and pulls out," one executive told NFL.com, "then gives another team your word and pulls out, then gives another team his word ... Not proper."

These "unwritten" rules may have a bit more ink to them than first thought, though. PFT notes that, per Article 4, Section 8(a) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, all parties engaged in contract negotiations have an obligation to negotiate in good faith. A grievance from the Chiefs could be coming.

According to reports, the Broncos weren't aware of an agreement between Sanders and any other teams. But that hasn't kept the Chiefs from being reportedly pissed by the outcome.